Reading your ex’s post or emails could land you in prison (Picture posed by model)

Is it illegal to open somebody else’s mail?

The Postal Services Act 2000 clearly states that it is certainly illegal to open someone’s post, or delay it reaching the owner.

The Act says: “A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him.”

Although throwing it away may not be the same as peeking, most people (and more importantly, lawyers) could argue that binning the mail “delays” the post indefinitely, which is a crime.

Anyone caught spying or intercepting post risks, in the worst case, a two-year jail sentence under the Investigatory Powers Act

Will I go to prison for opening an ex’s post?

A report by the Hall Brown family law firm has found that one in five husbands and wives use clandestine methods to find evidence of hidden wealth, in order to grab more in their divorce settlement.

Divorcees sometimes get away with it because judges often only question the source of the information if a settlement is contested.

But anyone caught spying or intercepting post risks, in the worst case, a two-year jail sentence under the Investigatory Powers Act.

So, if mail arrives at your home not addressed to you, whether it’s for an unknown previous tenant or a previous partner, make sure you clearly write ‘return to sender’, and put it back in the post as soon as possible.

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